Lady Gaga's 'Abracadabra': The song's meaning, inspiration, facts and more
The track featured on Gaga's latest album 'Mayhem'
Last updated 9th Jun 2025
The 67th Grammy Awards saw Lady Gaga pick up the award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, alongside Bruno Mars, and just hours later, the singer debuted her iconic track ‘Abracadabra’. With fans praising the track as feeling like the ‘old Gaga’ dance pop goodness, others hailed it as a ‘reinvention’ - and its fair to say its already seen huge success.
Join us as we take an in–depth look at Lady Gaga’s song ‘Abracadabra’, which featured on her latest album, from its chart performance, to the meaning behind the lyrics, its certifications, what the iconic pop star has said about the track and more - including the iconic music video she gifted us with.
When did Lady Gaga release ‘Abracadabra’?
‘Abracadabra’ was released on 3rd February 2025 - just hours after her spectacular performance, and win, at The Grammys. The song features on Gaga’s seventh studio album, titled ‘Mayhem’, which was released on 7th March 2025.
The track was the follow-up to Lady Gaga's Grammy-winning duet with Bruno Mars, 'Die With a Smile', and her single 'Disease' which was released late last year.
The singer premiered her new song 'Abracadabra' on YouTube in the early hours of Monday 3rd February, and after quickly becoming a trending video on the platform, it raked in around two million views on that same day. At the time of writing, the music video has over 109 million views on YouTube... Not bad, hey.
WATCH: Lady Gaga's 'Abracadabra' official music video
How did the song perform in the charts?
The song was an instant hit with fans, with many marking it as Gaga’s return to ‘dark pop’. It’s fair to say its popularity translated into chart performance, peaking at Number 4 in the Hits UK Chart and Number 3 on the UK Singles.
Song meaning: What is the song about?
Speaking to Elle, Lady Gaga confirmed that the song is about: “Facing the challenge of life and the challenge of the night and finding the magic in it all.”
Naturally, the singer was further questioned on what she meant by 'challenge of the night' - to which she told the publication: “When you have to face the world, the people around you, your life, your unique circumstances, your unique fabric in the world. And when you feel challenged with really showing everybody who you are.”
What about the ‘lady in red’?
As fans of the bop will know, the pre-chorus hears Gaga sing the lyrics: “Like a poem said by a lady in red” - which the singer confirmed refers to a part of yourself. She explained: “The lady in red is all of you that puts you to the test. Your internal monologue. 'Can you do it? Can you do it? Will you do it? Are you good enough? Can you handle it?'
“In a lot of ways, the song is about dealing with that challenge to yourself and very often the world around us can reflect it back to us as well. I wanted to explore the question, 'What does it feel like to thrive and not just be surviving all the time?'”
Essentially, the ‘lady in red’ is daring you to dance for your life.
What has Lady Gaga said about the track?
The story of Lady Gaga facing such challenges is illustrated in the creative music video - with her ultimately ‘coming through’. Discussing the video’s concept, she said: “This purer side of me that is peering up at all of the negative backtalk, all of the doubt, and facing all that side of me, she completely comes through. And she says, 'I'm up for the challenge.'”
She continued: “It's interesting because we had all these different ways that we thought about the video ending and ultimately I wanted this song to be about resilience in a way the song Disease was not. That track was about inner torture and being trapped.”
The music video’s choreography
Claiming that the dance floor is where she tries to ‘improve’ herself as a human being, where she tries to work harder, have more passion and give more of her authentic self. On the video’s creative choreography, she added: “I wanted to crack open what it means to persevere”.
The choreography in the video features a large group of dancers engaging in a dance battle between two contrasting sides - representing Gaga’s different personas. A mixture of powerful, sharp movements and intricate formations, in the slightly chaotic Gaga-esque atmosphere we’ve come to know and love, the choreography was crafted by Parris Goebel.
Of course, Gaga is no stranger to an incredible dance routine in her music videos, with the likes of 'Bad Romance', 'Judas', 'Telephone' and 'Born This Way' also incorporating impressive choreography.
WATCH: Lady Gaga performs 'Abracadabra' on Saturday Night Live
What is ‘Abracadabra’ certified with?
At the time of writing, the song is certified Gold in the UK by the BPI - which equates to over 400,000 unit sales.
When did Gaga return to music?
Lady Gaga dropped plenty of hints over the course of 2024 that she would be dropping new music soon, from sharing images of her creative process in the studio to teasing what her upcoming sound would be.
It was then on 27th September 2024 that she delighted fans with some new bops - albeit in the form of 'Harlequin', a companion album to Joker: Folie à Deux, which she also starred in.
The singer then released her Grammy-winning duet with Bruno Mars, 'Die With a Smile', in August, followed by her single 'Disease' in October.
You can hear Lady Gaga's biggest hits on Hits Radio!
Take a look at Lady Gaga's amazing career:
2007: Lollapalooza Festival
After she began playing piano at the age of 4, Gaga - real name Stefani Germanotta - took on lead roles in plays at school, and enrolled in performance courses. She recorded songs with singer Melle Mel, and started working with producer Rob Fusari, before meeting performance artist Lady Starlight who helped to develop her on-stage persona. The pair performed together at the Lollapalooza festival in 2007.
2008: Debut album, 'The Fame'
In November 2007, Gaga was signed and began writing songs for the likes of Britney Spears, Fergie and the Pussycat Dolls. In 2008, she released her debut album 'The Fame', which spawned singles 'Just Dance', 'Poker Face' and 'Paparazzi'. It was a hit all over the world, hitting the top spot in the UK and US charts with Gaga winning two GRAMMYs in 2010. She spent a record 150 weeks in the UK singles chart in 2009.
2009: 'The Monster Ball Tour'
From 2009 - 2011, Gaga took her 'The Monster Ball Tour' worldwide! Over the two years, she travelled through arenas and stadiums supporting her first EP, 'The Fame Monster', and songs from her debut studio album, 'The Fame'.
Lady Gaga later revealed that at the height of the tour - despite multiple sold-out dates - she actually amassed a huge amount of debt which resulted in her becoming bankrupt... And she didn't even know! She told The Financial Times: "I actually went bankrupt after the first extension of The Monster Ball. And it was funny because I didn't know!"
Only finding out from her team afterwards, she continued: "I remember I called everybody and said, 'Why is everyone saying I have no money? This is ridiculous, I have five No. 1 singles.' And they said, 'Well, you're $3 million (£2.3 million) in debt."
2010: 'Telephone' with Beyoncé and second album
Gaga wrote eight brand new songs for the re-release of her debut album, entitled 'The Fame Monster' - one of which was 'Telephone' featuring Beyoncé Knowles-Carter. The Number 1 single was accompanied by a quirky 10-minute music video featuring the two stars as a criminal duo. 'Bad Romance' also featured on the reissue, and the music video became the most-watched YouTube video in April 2010. In October, Gaga became the first person to have a combined viewing figure of over a billion on the platform.
She won three GRAMMYs at the 2011 awards ceremony, and released 'Born This Way' - her second album - in May 2011. The lead single sold over a million copies in just five days, and the album hit the top spot in both the UK and US - being certified 4x Platinum in the UK and 4x Platinum in the US.
2012: The Simpsons and 'Artpop'
Gaga reached peak fame in 2012 when she was a guest star on The Simpsons in the episode 'Lisa Goes Gaga'. She also worked with Tony Bennett on a jazz version of 'The Lady Is A Tramp' and Sir Elton John for the Gnomeo And Juliet soundtrack. Her third album 'Artpop' was released in November 2013, featuring the likes of 'Applause', and went to Number 1 in the UK and US. It was certified Gold in the UK and Platinum in the US.
She hosted Saturday Night Live that same month and starred in Lady Gaga and the Muppets Holiday Spectacular, as well as having a small role in 2014 Sin City follow-up A Dame To Kill For. Having worked together in 2011, Gaga collaborated with Tony Bennett once again to create a jazz album entitled 'Cheek To Cheek' and featuring covers of 'Anything Goes', 'It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)' and 'Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)'. The record showed yet another new side to Gaga, and won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, with the pair going on tour together.
2016: 'Til It Happens to You' at the Oscars 2016
After becoming engaged to Taylor Kinney in 2015 and seeing less success on 'Artpop', Gaga chose to soften her image and be less outrageous. She was approached by Diane Warren to co-write a song for documentary The Hunting Ground about campus rape in America - something that was close to her heart for personal reasons. They were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song, and she performed it at the 2016 ceremony, inviting victims onto the stage with her in an incredibly moving moment.
Having been an aspiring actress for most of her life, Gaga jumped at the chance to appear in American Horror Story: Hotel as the hotel's owner, Elizabeth - for which she received the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film.
She also performed the National Anthem at Super Bowl 50, performing a tribute with Nile Rodgers to David Bowie, who had passed away one month before. She split from Taylor in July 2016, and returned to American Horror Story to play a witch in their sixth season, Roanoke. Her fourth album 'Joanne', named for her grandmother, was released in October 2016, and hit the top spot in the US, peaking at Number 3 in the UK. It was certified Platinum in the US and Gold in the UK.
2017: Super Bowl and documentary Gaga: Five Foot Two
After singing the National Anthem the previous year, Gaga was invited to perform as the headline act during the Super Bowl LI halftime show in February 2017 - it earned her an Outstanding Special Class Program Emmy nomination. She headlined Coachella Festival in the April, and in August went on the 'Joanne World Tour' before releasing her Netflix documentary Gaga: Five Foot Two in September.
2018: A Star Is Born
After contributing to Elton John's tribute album with a cover of 'Your Song', Gaga starred in the 2018 remake of A Star Is Born as Ally, with Bradley Cooper playing her love interest Jackson Maine. She was nominated for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA, and the film's lead song 'Shallow' - which she wrote with Mark Ronson - received many nominations at all the big awards ceremonies. The soundtrack album hit the top spot in the UK and US charts, and was certified Platinum in the UK and 2x Platinum in the US.
2019: Awards and Las Vegas residency
Gaga cleaned up during the 2019 awards season - taking home the Academy Award for Best Original Song for 'Shallow', a BAFTA Film Award, two Critics' Choice Movie Awards, two GRAMMY Awards and the Best Original Song – Motion Picture Golden Globe for 'Shallow'. She signed a two-year residency in Las Vegas called Enigma which opened in December 2018, and launched her vegan makeup range Haus Laboratories in 2019. She was also announced to star in a Ridley Scott film about Maurizio Gucci, portraying his ex-wife Patrizia Reggiani who was convicted of hiring a hitman to murder him.
2020: 'Chromatica'
Gaga announced her sixth album 'Chromatica' in 2020, releasing the lead single 'Stupid Love' in February. The album was due for release in April 2020, but the singer chose to push it back due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
2021: Lady Gaga sings at President Biden's inauguration
Lady Gaga sang the US National Anthem at Joe Biden's inauguration as President of the United States.
2021: 'Love For Sale' album with Tony Bennet
'Love For Sale' was the second album Lady Gaga and singer Tony Bennett had created together, following 'Cheek to Cheek' in 2014. 'Love For Sale' was released on 30th September 2021, and is a tribute to Jazz composer Cole Porter. The album is made up of renditions of Cole Porter's songs sung by the famous friends, and even bagged them a Grammy Award!
2021: House of Gucci
Lady Gaga is no stranger to the big screen, proving yet again in 2021 that she is one talented actress! Gaga starred as Patrizia Reggiani in the film House of Gucci, which was released on 26th November 2021.
She later received a Golden Globe nomination for her part in the film.
April 2022: 'Hold My Hand' in Top Gun: Maverick soundtrack
On 27th April, Lady Gaga announced that she had written the song 'Hold My Hand' for the Top Gun: Maverick film. The song came out on 3rd May and fans were quick to share their excitement at hearing new material from the iconic singer.
July 2022: Lady Gaga kicks off 'The Chromatica Ball' tour
After it was postponed in 2020, Lady Gaga was finally able to begin her 'The Chromatica Ball' tour on Sunday 17th July. The tour took her across Europe, Asia and North America with two shows in London's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 29th and 30th July. While on tour, fans thought the singer had 'magic powers' as an object was stopped mid-flight after it was thrown at the singer!
August 2022: Lady Gaga confirms role in Joker 2
In August 2022, Lady Gaga officially confirmed that she would be starring alongside Joaquin Phoenix in the sequel to 2019 film Joker. After months of rumours, the singer confirmed the news with a short teaser clip, which revealed that the sequel - titled Joker: Folie à deux - would be released on 4th October 2024.
2023: Nominations for 'Hold My Hand'
Gaga's song 'Hold My Hand' for Top Gun: Maverick received a pretty impressive amount of award nominations, getting nods at the Grammys, the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards. Despite the nominations, she lost out to Lin-Manuel Miranda for Encanto and M. M. Keeravani for RRR.
March 2023: Stripped-back Oscars performance
Nominated for Best Original Song for 'Hold My Hand' at the 2023 Oscars, Lady Gaga performed the track live. In a stripped-down performance, the singer changed out of her Versace dress and diamonds and took to the stage in a T-Shirt, jeans and Converse shoes.
April 2023: Gaga becomes co-chair of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities
In April 2023, President Joe Biden appointed Lady Gaga as co-chair of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities. In this role, she advised the President and heads of the US cultural agencies on ways to enhance federal support for the arts and humanities.
July 2023: Lady Gaga pays tribute to Tony Bennett
Lady Gaga took to Instagram to share an emotional tribute to her 'real true friend' Tony Bennett following his death aged 96, writing about how much she would miss him. She penned: 'Though there were 5 decades between us, he was my friend. My real true friend. Our age difference didn't matter-- in fact, it gave us each something neither of us had with most people. We were from two different stages in life entirely--inspired.' (sic)
May 2024: Gaga Chromatica Ball release and new music tease
On 23rd May 2024, Lady Gaga's concert film premiered in Los Angeles, with the special - named the Gaga Chromatica Ball - airing on American streaming service HBO Max. The film was directed and produced by Lady Gaga herself, and gave fans the chance to re-live her iconic performance at the Dodger Stadium, in LA, in September 2022.
Not only that, but while attending the premiere, the singer teased that she would be releasing new music 'soon'. Telling Entertainment Tonight that she was working on her new music 'all the time', she gushed that her fans "hate when I say soon, but soon!" Gaga also hinted that her upcoming album will be unlike anything that she'd made before.
July 2024: Lady Gaga performed at the Paris Olympics
Lady Gaga performed at the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. She took to a stage at the side of the River Seine and performed a French-language song 'Mon Truc en Plumes', meaning 'My Thing with Feathers'.
September 2024: Joker: Folie à Deux companion album 'Harlequin'
On 24th September 2024, just a week before the release of the highly-anticipated film Joker: Folie à Deux, Lady Gaga dropped the news that she would be releasing a companion album for the film. Sharing the cover art, and revealing its title 'Harlequin', Gaga announced that it would be released on 27th September. Just days away from its release, she even dropped the tracklist, complete with 13 songs.
October 2024: Joker: Folie à Deux is released starring Joaquin Phönix and Lady Gaga
Joker fans rejoiced as the sequel film - Joker: Folie à Deux - was officially released. Gaga stars in the film alongside Joaquin Phönix, with the pair playing the infamous roles of the Joker and Harley Quinn. Attending the Los Angeles premiere, the pair looked dapper as they rocked a black tie look, with Gaga donning black and red hair.
October 2024: First single from 'LG7' is released
Serving as a pretty exciting month for the singer, October 2024 also saw Lady Gaga release the official first single from her seventh album 'Mayhem', coming in the form of the track 'Disease'. The almighty song, in all of its pop glory, was released on Friday 25th October, along with a lyric video on the singer's YouTube channel. Gaga also shared a snippet of what looked like an official music video to her socials.
Listen to Lady Gaga's 'Disease' here on YouTube.
2025: Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars perform at The Grammys
Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars performed a cover of The Mamas and the Papa's song 'California Dreamin'' as a tribute to Los Angeles at the 67th Grammy Awards in February 2025. The pair also won a Grammy Award for their collab 'Die With A Smile'.
2025: Lady Gaga - 'Mayhem'
Lady Gaga released her long-awaited and highly-anticipated album 'Mayhem' on 7th March. The album features her hits 'Die With A Smile', with Bruno Mars, 'Disease' and 'Abracadabra' - and it was certified Silver in the UK with 60,000 sales just two weeks later. It's since been certified Gold with 100,000 UK sales!
2025: Wednesday appearance and 'Dead Dance' released
Lady Gaga appeared as Rosaline Rotwood in series two, part two of Netflix series Wednesday. Not only that, she also released a new single called 'Dead Dance' which appeared on the soundtrack.
2025: Lady Gaga starts the UK leg of her 'Mayhem Ball' Tour
On 26th March 2025, Lady Gaga announced she would be going on tour, bringing her 'The Mayhem Ball Tour' to the UK for six nights, in September and October. The tour featured special guests from Netflix series Wednesday, Emma Myers and Evie Templeton, who play Enid and Agnes and featured a massive 28-song setlist.
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